North Carolina leading scorer P.J. Hairston suspended

The North Carolina Tar Heels suspended leading scorer P.J. Hairston Sunday night, just hours after North Carolina state police pulled him over for driving 93 miles per hour in a 65 mile limit zone.

The junior guard and McDonald’s All-American will receive an indefinite suspension according to a short statement released by the school.

The isn’t the first time P.J. Hairston has gotten into trouble this offseason. There were two citations against Hairston within a month’s time while driving a rental vehicle linked to a convicted felon. One set of charges were dropped. P.J. Hairston averaged 14.6 points in 34 games as a sophomore last season and is expected to be a centerpiece of the plan Roy Williams has in place this winter. That is, should he get himself together off-the-court.

Tonight, Hairston was cited for speeding and careless and reckless driving. He faces an Aug. 30 court date in Rowan County, N.C.

P.J. Hairston was previously cited for speeding in a Chevy Camaro on May 13th in a vehicle that was rented under a woman’s name sharing the home address of Haydn Patrick “Fats” Thomas.

And who is Fats Thomas exactly? Well, his name also appears on rental records for the GMC Yukon Hairston was driving on June 5 when he was arrested and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession. Oh and P.J. Hairston was driving without a license too when caught in Durham. Deepin the heat of Duke Blue Devils territory.

Two weeks ago, North Carolina coach Roy Williams said Hairston would face “serious consequences” after his arrest. Roy had not determined a course of action for punishment as the case was yet to play out. However, now Williams will probably have to take a more harsher form of discipline than originally planned, due to this latest legal problem for P.J. Hairston.

Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, a Fox Sports affiliate. He is also an analyst for 95.7 The Fan, and writes on Chicago sports media for Chicago Now. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@PaulMBanks), like him on Facebook